Count down and flying time

in one short week we'll be in Alberta with a 4 year old, not a 3 year old; a 4 year old.

I'm trying to wrap my brain around the fact that 4 years ago she was a very much looked forward to little person with no name, no gender and we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. The last 4 years have been so full. Full of unexpected rushes of love so intense that that I never would have believed them before the Peanut came along. Full of pride so head inflating that I'm sure that my hat size has gone up 10 sizes. Full of frustrations and impatience and the graspings at all those perfect and not so perfect little moments as they fly by.

I have one more year of having her 100% and then it's time for school. She'll go off to learn new things and make new friends. Sure she'll come back each day with tales of her adventures, the things she's learned, the friends she's made. And she'll still be ours. So I'll be soaking in this last year with her, taking it all in before she becomes a big kid and not my little baby anymore. The count down is on and time is flying.

In one week

We'll be celebrating the Peanut's 4th birthday and then again on the following Tuesday her actual birthday.

She's asked for a dinosaur birthday and we've done our best. We'll be bleach painting dino shapes onto colourful canvas bags. Making dino pinwheels using pencils and thumbtacks. and drawing dinos on the wooden fence with sidewalk chalk. I'm in the middle of collecting our plastic eggs from Eostara to use as dino eggs in the sandbox and of course all of the Peanut's extensive dinosaur collection will be out and available for play.

We keep food as simple as possible; fresh fruit and veg, crackers and cheese, juice boxes and water, bread and dip and coffee for the adults. Cake will be cupcakes in both chocolate and white with dinosaur candies on top for that added sugar rush just before they head home.

Last year we spent less than $5 per child. This year we've splurged a little with the canvas bags, crafts and stickers. I think the total per child is around $7 or $8 give or take. We're very excited about the party around here, it's all we can talk about. I'll post pictures after it's all over and done with.

In the meantime we're in pre-party pre-travel mode around here which means that my posts over the next few weeks are going to be few and far between. I have thought ahead this time around and there are some scheduled posts set and ready to go while we're away. Not to give too much away but those post are must reads if I do say so myself, keep an eye out for them...

A thousand words

The Peanut and her cousin telling each other they love each other

a little story

This house was not always so tall. Once it was a simple bungalow shared by a group of deep thinking philosophers. These learned people would sit around day and night (as philosophers are wont to do) and talk about the meaning of love.

What is the meaning of love?
How do you love?
Why would you love?
When do you know love?
What is love?
Who can love?
Where can you find love?

One day, the darkest existential thinker of these learned philosophers stood up and declared "Love is dead".

Stunned, the rest sat in silence. One by one they each began to mourn the death of love. With tears of loss, they spoke to each other about their pain. They shared their sadness, tears fell.

But one small philosopher sat back in deep thought and observed her peers sitting together, but deeply alone with their pain.

She stood and moved to the philosopher who was sitting next to her. He was in such a deep anguish that a black cloud was forming over his head. As she looked around she noticed that there was a darkness growing throughout the small room, making it smaller. The little philosopher took her neighbors hand and pulled him into a comforting hug.

"Don't cry," she whispered into his ear, and with these heart felt words the black cloud that had been forming around him dissipated and he saw that he loved the little philosopher, and he knew that if this was so, then Love could not be dead.

Armed with this insight he smiled at the her and looked around the room at the rest. With a soft kiss they broke their embrace and moved on to the rest of the room, comforting each man and woman with hugs and kind words, awakening each of them from their fugues.

With each embrace and caring whisper the knowledge that Love was not gone filled the house up to bursting. There was so much love that the tiny bungalow stretched up creating more space for the love to fill until it could grow no more.

Now the house stands three stories tall and it is said that if you are feeling lost, alone and loveless and you walk past this house your step will become light, the day will become brighter and you will feel love.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Not too long ago I came across this blog give away. Writing a little story about the item up for giveaway and following the blog was required to enter, the above story was my entry.

On our way back from our Alberta trip last month I managed (after having almost zero internet contact throughout the trip) to check email in the Calgary airport which is when I found out I had the winning story. To be fair there were three stories that were finalists in the giveaway and my name was the one pulled out of the draw bag. My pin came in the mail today and I have to say I am so impressed with the workmanship, the details and the lovely bright colours and the magical translucency of the plexi-glass.

A Thousand Words

I was wondering just what it was they were talking about
out there for so long

Don't ask me to look after your balloon

There is a yearly street festival near our place that the merchants association puts on. Last year we were visiting family and attending my cousin's wedding so we missed it. This year we missed the parade portion of the event but we made it to the rest of it. For better or worse we went to the street festival.

I say it like that because it seemed that the Peanut was at once pleased to be there and not quite satisfied with what was on offer.

We started great; with a free pinwheel and pencil, Daddy got her a flower balloon. There was music playing everywhere. Which was wonderful; except the Peanut thought that even though it was happy music, it was also too loud, and she wouldn't stop to dance.

Then we waited in line for face painting. Daddy ran off feed us (because this is what good Daddies do) and came back with a tasty sandwich and water. The Peanut was given a helium balloon which we tied to her stroller, the flower balloon we also added to the helium string. (it was a good idea at the time and was working). We managed to get in on the last of the face painting (only two other kids were painted after us) but the Peanut took one look at her Lion Queen face and melted into a sad puddle of "But I wanted a pink nose" to which the face painter quickly added a pink dab onto her nose.



Daddy got her an ice cream which she happily enjoyed while us parents went to get one of our own. The sun was out (after what feels like a forever of rain and gray skies an extra blessing on the day) and her ice cream was quickly melting in rivulets onto her hands and clothes. We stopped so I could clean her up a little, and ended up entertaining an older couple sitting on the side of the road when instead I missed her ice cream entirely and it landed on the road. Of course the Peanut took one look at her ice cream and melted into a puddle of "I want my ice cream!" In an attempt to appease her, since it was my fault, i gave up my ice cream and we carried on.

By this time it didn't matter what we did or where we went the Peanut was ready to melt into a puddle at the drop of a hat, so we were somewhat pleased when we noticed her flower balloon missing but she didn't. (I did say that it was a good idea at the time, and it did work for at least 2 hours) We found a bouncy castle but were turned away because the festival was coming to a close which resulted in a repeat of above with the title of the puddle changed to reflect the situation. Then we hightailed it homeward.

Later, once we had made it home and were all relatively puddle free, the doorbell rang. My Niece and her partner had dropped in for a surprise visit. They are planning on moving here in a month or so and had spent the day looking at places (insert my happy dance here). We offered them dinner (high class cuisine of chicken fingers and watermelon) and they suggested going out to eat. So out came the stroller so that we could walk up to the Italian place at the top of the hill and off came the helium balloon in the process which resulted; yes you guessed it, in a Peanut puddle of "I want my red balloon!"

So what did we learn from all of this?

Next year we're going to catch the parade
The Peanut's ear protectors will be added to the stuff we bring with us
I will hold out for the Butter Chicken, Naan and Rice from Bombay Bhel
oh, and the wings from Burgers Etc.
Oh yeah,
and I am not going to be put in charge of cleaning up ice creams or holding onto any balloons.



All in all it was a pretty fantastic day, if you keep the puddles out of the equation (and I'm going to). How was your Saturday?

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

It's been a little less than a year since the Peanut napped with the exception of that afternoon she had a fever and she passed out on me during a huggle.

Yesterday I was feeling a little droopy so I had a little lie down after lunch; having an almost 4 year old makes doing something like that a little easier than say having a one or two year old (of course with the one and two year old Peanut I napped with her) To my surprise she announced that she was sleepy too and snuggled up beside me. Of course the snuggle turned into a hop up to go potty and wash her hands, jump off and onto the bed and run around the house to jump on and then off the bed and somewhere in that little jumping in and out she managed to snuggle in long enough to pass out for a nice hour long nap.

Quiet moments like this are getting fewer and farther between with the Peanut as she gets older so I took full advantage and basked in her Peanutty sleepiness, wouldn't you?

A Thousand Words

my parent's neighbors mostly keep to themselves

There's a party in my tummy

if you watch Yo Gabba Gabba then you know where that's from. The party in my tummy isn't a friendly play date though. It the one where the biker bar heard your parents were out of town and that your older brother was having a party. It's that party where the uninvited (and even a few that were asked) trash the living room and start a bonfire in the middle of the living room. It's the party where your parents liquor cabinet is smashed, all the booze jugged and then everyone either stands on your parents bed to pee out the window or pukes in the hallway.

that's the party that's going on in my tummy, or at least it was yesterday when I almost set up camp in the bathroom after lunch because I was barely making it to the ivory receptacle in time. On my menu today is a nice bland assortment of easy to digest foods and plenty of clear liquids and a great big huge wish that yesterday stays there and today is a little easier on my tummy

Rain rain rain

but at least it's warm and we can splash in puddles. We'll be headed out to do some splashing today, if I can find the rain pants that is. If not we'll be tiptoeing through the puddles so that our pants stay dry; not nearly as much fun.

I'm not feeling 100% right now; I have a bit of a tummy bug that's keeping me right off the food, mix that up with a good dose of heartburn whenever I do manage to eat something and it's a right treat. On the positive side; these things are temporary and I have the whole "I'm glad that's over with!" to look forward to.

We kept the weekend pretty low key with lots of fort building, and movie watching mixed with just enough errand running and chore finishing to make it feel like we weren't just lumps. on the don side the Peanut has had some pretty juicy morning wakings, I'll be changing her bed again today and we'll be on extra vigilant potty duty at bedtime tonight.

But enough about me, how was your weekend?